The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-05-27
END OF VOLUME FORTY
SEVEN OF THE TELE-
GRAPH,

This number of the TELEGRAPH
newspaper closes the forty-seventh year
since its establishment. Perhaps most
of the facts connected with the early
history of the paper have been men
toned in previous years. 1t is sta ed
on the authority of Hon. Lyman c.
Draper, late Secretary of the Wiscon-
sin Historical Society, in the collections
of that Society, Vol. 2, that the first
printing in Wisconsin was at Green
Bay, December, 1888. This was before
any white settlement in this part of the
state. AT that date the Green Bay IN
tezzigeqacer was established. which was
the first printing done in Wisconsin,
and probably the first west of Wiscon.
sin to the Rocky Mountains. At that
time Green Bay was military post
and headquarters for Indian traders.
Mr.. Draper, in the volume, says that
the second printing done in Wisconsin
was in Kenosha Ghen called Pike
Creek, by Rev. Jason Lathrop. This
printing was not newspaper, but of a
miscellaneous kind, such as bylaws
of the Land Claimants Association,
before the lands were brought into
market by Government, and finally a
book of considerable size was printed.
The printing establishment of Rev.
Mr.. Lathrop has been described before
in the TELEGRAPH, and need not be
again at this time, except to say it was
a remarkable production of human
ingenuity. He brought small quanti-
ty of printing type with him when he
came in 1886, but no other equipment
whatever for printing Office. His in
geniOus c0ntrivance for printing he
gives an interesting description him.
self in one Of the early volumes of
the Historical Society. Specimens of
Rev. Lathrop's printing at Pike Greek
(Kenosha) by his simple machinery
were deposited in the Historical Socie-
tvs collections at Madison, where they
still may be seen unless crowded out
of sight by the great accumulated mass
of curiosities which have been added
to that valuable collection.
In the third volume of the Historical
Society's collections, published in 1856,
little over thirty years ago, on page
1902, is found an account of the first
action taken by the people in relation
to the establishment of a newspaper in
Kenosha: *1a
"The establishment Of newspaper
began to be agitated in the summer of
1889 in the following winter there
was much excitement on the subject,
arising from the rival feelings between
the people of the north side of the
creek and those on the south side.
The south side claimed the location Of
the press on the ground of having the
greatest population. The north side
claimed it, because it had more wealth
and business influence to sustain a
press. In January, 1910, Judge Bull
len proposed to guarantee to Hon. G.
G. Sholes five hundred subscribers,
and sufficient support, provided he
would establish paper on the north
side. This raised storm; the south
side people called a meeting, and re-
solved not to patronize the proposed
paper. In the meantime, the interests
of the south side continued to strength
en-, and in June, 1910, the "Southport
Telegraph" edited by G. Latham
Sholes and M. Frank was established.
This paper has ever since that time
continued its regular weekly issues,
and is now 1850. with perhaps one ex-
ception, the Oldest paper in the state
The north side did not, however, aban-
don the idea of newspaper, and in SEP
TENDER, 1S41, paper called the South
port AnaericG1l' was established on
that side of the creek, edited by n. P.
Dowst. 1t continued to be published
on that side until the mercantile and
other business was mostly transferred
to the south side, when the paper was
also removed TO the south side"
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